Bechloe prompt: Chloe finds out that Beca is dyslexic.
The Bellas groaned simultaneously as Aubrey handed out the sheet music and lyrics for a new song they would be performing at Sigma Beta Theta. After the shambles of their first performance, she was working them extra hard until they perfected every step and note. Seeing as 'I Saw the Sign' proved to be too much for the new Bella's just yet, Aubrey had found a new, easier song for them to perform. Beca studied the sheet and saw the title before calling out, "Erm Aubrey? I don't know this song," The leader of the Bellas sighed at the incompetence of the alternative girl and wondered why she had ever let Chloe convince her to let her in.
"That's why I've printed out the lyrics for you," Aubrey explained with a condescending tone. "Okay everyone, let's get stuck right in and take it from the top." She sung the starting note and everyone matched pitch. Most of them already knew the song and didn't have any trouble with it, but Beca and Fat Amy were forced to sight-read the music and lyrics on the spot. By now Beca was used to reading music, so that wasn't the problem. But Fat Amy noticed that the small brunette wasn't singing the lyrics, instead she was just repeating 'la' and hiding her face from Aubrey in the hope that she wouldn't notice. She elbowed Beca in the ribs and gave her a quizzical look, but the small girl just kept on singing the same word instead of the lyrics.
They finished the song and Aubrey stood with the usual look of disappointment on her face. "Again!" she called out and the Bellas reluctantly started up again, preparing themselves for a long afternoon. They had barely finished the first verse before Aubrey abruptly cut them off with a loud clap. "Beca, what the hell are you doing?!" she asked, and everyone turned to stare intensely at Aubrey's chosen victim. "I told you, I don't know the song…" Beca mumbled, wishing the ground would swallow her up there and then. "That's why I gave you the frickin' lyrics!" the blonde screamed, waving a sheet of paper in front of Beca's face.
Beca felt the anger build up inside of her, and along with it came a surge of confidence. "Do you know what? You can shove your stupid lyrics. I have somewhere I need to be," she said and threw her chair back before storming out. Everyone looked at one another, puzzled at Beca's flare up over such a menial issue. "Don't worry, I got this," Chloe said to Aubrey and jogged out after Beca. Aubrey nodded before captivating the Bellas attention again, determined not to lose focus.
Chloe jogged out of the gym where rehearsals were taking place, and found Beca sitting by a tree and angrily wiping tears from her eyes. She sat down next to her and didn't talk, waiting until Beca felt comfortable enough to make the first move. Eventually she spoke up, but her voice was so quiet that Chloe had to strain to hear exactly what she said. "Sorry," she whispered, and wiped a tear from her cheek. "What do you have to be sorry about?" Chloe asked, taking one of Beca's hands into her own.
"Storming out… messing up in rehearsal…"
"Everyone has bad days. But I know you Beca, and you're not the type of person to be crying just because rehearsal was tough. So do you want to tell me what's really going on?"
"I can't…" Beca said and looked down at the floor.
Chloe gently placed her hand on the side of Beca's face and encouraged her to make eye contact. "Hey," she said soothingly, wiping a tear away with the pad of her thumb. "You can tell me anything, you know that." Beca nodded, taking in a deep breath to build up her courage. Chloe dropped her hand and took Beca's hands in her own again, holding them tightly to reassure her that she wasn't going to go anywhere. Eventually Beca's lips parted and she said, "I couldn't read the lyrics fast enough to sing along. I can't read properly… It takes me a long time to read just one sentence, and even then I'll usually get something wrong. The letters get jumbled up and the white of the paper blocks out parts of the words. What I'm trying to say is… I have dyslexia."
"Okay."
"That's it? You're not going to laugh or storm off?"
"Why the heck would I do that? You told me you have dyslexia, you didn't tell me you have gills like a fish."
Beca smirked, and suddenly felt a lot more relaxed. "I wish Aubrey was this understanding."
"She is, if you give her a chance. Storming out midway through rehearsals probably isn't the best idea if you want to get on her good side. But if you explain to her that you can't read the lyrics fast enough to sing them straight away, then she'd totally get it."
"I doubt it. She'll probably just think I'm really thick."
"No she won't. Did you know her mom's dyslexic? She's used to it; she knows how to handle it. It's a lot more common than you think."
"I didn't know that..." Beca said feeling comforted at the thought that there was someone else who knew what she was going through. "Not many people do," Chloe replied, "Now come on; let's go get something to drink. Once rehearsal is over and everyone's left, we'll go back there and I'll help you talk to Aubrey. Okay?"
"Okay," Beca said and allowed Chloe to help her to her feet. She entwined their fingers together and smiled as they walked across the quad. They reached the café and she turned to Chloe and said, "Thank you, for not thinking I'm weird."
"Oh I think that you're weird, but not because you have dyslexia."
Beca playfully hit her on the arm as they walked through the door and were hit by the strong smell of coffee. "So tell me something about you that you're embarrassed of," Beca said, intrigued to find out more about Chloe. The redhead thought for a moment before blushing as she said, "I'm still scared of the dark." Beca grinned and looked at the older girl, surprised that the confident, bubbly personality was afraid of the dark. "Do you have a night-light?" she asked, only half-mockingly. "For that you can buy me a drink!" Chloe said with a laugh.
